Alleged wrongdoings in Abbottabad hospital: Inquiry committee recommends terminating senior officials

ABBOTTABAD: The Inquiry committee constituted by Board of Governors, Ayub Medical Teaching Institution (AMTI), has uncovered financial mismanagement and irregularities to the tune of Rs1.355 billion in Ayub Teaching Hospital Abbottabad and recommended termination of five senior officials including former hospital director.

The inquiry, initiated in response to allegations of fraud and misuse of authority, uncovered severe violations of procurement laws, collusion among officials, and substantial losses to the public exchequer. It also uncovered procurement violations, including fake bids and forged documents, misuse of authority by senior officials and overpayments for surgical items and medicines during the interim government period 2023-24 fiscal year.

When contacted, Secretary Board of Governors, Hamid Khan confirmed that the inquiry findings had been finalised and handed over to him which will be discussed in next BoG meeting. BoG Chairman Prof Dr Abid Jameel also confirmed the completion of the inquiry.

The committee headed by Dr Haq Nawaz comprising Head of Pharmacy Department Sona Khan, senior lawyer and former BoG member Asad Khan Jadoon and financial expert Umer Abbassi finalised the report.

They categorized involved officials into three groups based on their roles and recommended stringent administrative and legal actions, including terminations, recoveries, and criminal probes. The report urged the Board of Governors (BOG) to act swiftly on recommendations, recover losses, and initiate criminal probes to restore public trust. It warned that failure to address the issues could lead to recurring institutional decay.

The inquiry painted a grim picture of institutional malpractice at ATH, demanding accountability for those implicated and systemic reforms to prevent future abuses. The BOG faced mounting pressure to implement the committee’s roadmap for transparency and discipline.

Key findings of the inquiry included procurement violations; inflated pricing, misuse of authority, and financial mismanagement and pointed out that PPRA Rules 2014 were breached by favouring companies on forged documents without having NTN and bank statements while manipulating technical evaluations and awarding contracts to ineligible firms.

The report stated that pharmacy supplies and IT equipment were purchased at rates exceeding market prices due to the absence of mandatory market surveys. It stated that Rs930 million worth of purchases were illegally approved during a government-imposed ban, bypassing BoG.

Misuse of authority by former Hospital Director Dr Ather Lodhi pharmacist Habibillah Turabi, IT director Shehryar Ali, procurement director Murtaza Khan, senior auditor Amjad Elahi were also pointed out.

“Being an overall administrative Head/Executive and Principal accounting officer, Dr Ather Lodhi intentionally facilitated direct procurement of medicines, surgical disposables and non-drug items without involving the material management/Procurement department working in collaboration with the procurement pharmacist Habibullah Turabi. He was involved in the mis-procurement of pharmaceutical supplies during the government imposed ban period without seeking prior approval from the competent authority,” the report added.